Many people who arrived in Roston-on-Don from the conflict zone in Ukraine have been traumatized by what they had witnessed. They carry a heavy burden, as many have lost relatives and close ones.

“Every person I talked to has had signs of post-traumatic stress disorder,” says Irina Drozdova, a psychologist and a university teacher. She has provided people fleeing conflict in Ukraine with psychosocial support, as part of her work as a Red Cross volunteer.

She has been with the Rostov-on-Don Regional Red Cross branch since 1999. Now a group of Drozdova`s students and graduates is also involved in providing emotional support to people from Ukraine seeking safety and selter in their region.

Angels of Charity

“All I need to tell them is when and where to go and they will come,” says Drozdova in praise of her students who don`t hold back from participating in other activities, such as food distribution and fund raising.

The Rostov-on-Don Regional Red Cross has a special group of volunteers called “Angels of Charity” who are students of the local nursing college. It is already a tradition that the students participate in the voluntary activities of the organization that provide for the basic needs of the most vulnerable people. These include visiting the homes of the elderly and disabled on a regular basis, helping them with domestic chores and, not least, entertainment.

“It is the gratitude of people that keeps us going," agree Anastasya Dergatshova and Tatyana Melihova, two nursing students and Red Cross volunteers. “At the same time we can fulfil our duty as human beings by helping others,” they add with a mixed sense of modesty and pride in their humanitarian purpose.